Brought to you by Project BlueSphere

My name is Alex Dorsey. Welcome to Project BlueSphere’s The Minimalist Sailor.

The Minimalist Sailor (TMS) is a social network and philosophy dedicated to fulfilling the dream of sailing the world by minimal means. TMS is a venue where like-minded individuals can learn, share ideas, and turn dreams into reality through friendship, knowledge, support, and inspiration.

Once you join The Minimalist Sailor (for free), you will be able to communicate with others, upload pictures & video to better share your ideas, and develop the skills you need to go voyaging on your own through instructional videos, support, and guidance.

I don’t know where the trials and tribulations of The Minimalist Sailor will go; I only promise an honest view of my perspective as I travel so other interested men may follow. I only wish this website to be a light to the unconventional path we forge. Carla ( My wife) also blogs and writes about all this from a woman’s perspective.

I will do my best to share my experiences through my words, photographs, and films. My two feature-length sailing films are available for you to wacth for free. If you enjoy them, please send a donation.

Registering at The Minimalist Sailor is absolutely free, no credit cards are required. You will have access to my blogs and you will also be able to start your own groups locally, and upload and share pictures & videos.

There will only be a small fee to watch my instructional videos, and if you want to have access to my video blog and photo gallery you can become a TMS supporter for only $4.95 a month. I’m hoping this will provide you with inspiration, as well as helping us live far off of the grid.

I have many minimalist sailing friends. Some sail the world without electricity or mechanical propulsion. Others sail with mechanical propulsion but without refrigeration. There are no guidelines to what makes a minimalist sailor with the exception that the minimalist sailor realizes that the luxury of freedom is far greater than that of an ice cube or an iPhone.

The “cruising” mega-boating store, and the modern sailing magazine philosophy have polluted the dream of voyaging the world and turned it into something unattainable to most men. We are going to change that! Setting upon the sea is not something complicated nor expensive.

It is my very humble opinion that if you adopt a minimalistic voyaging philosophy you can afford to set upon the world in a sailboat now. Only once you understand how to dry, home-can, and make wine from locally picked island fruits will you truly enjoy the luxury of freedom.

If you dream of sailing the world, I have a secret to share with you. It’s not about having the money or time to sail the world as a free man, it’s about determination, knowledge, and skill. The reality is you can purchase a sailboat capable of circumnavigating, extended cruising, or a life at sea for the price of an inexpensive used car, for as little as a few thousand dollars, and even free if you do some real searching.

If you seek the skills necessary to sail the world on a micro income, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve noticed a growing trend of men wanting to unplug from the system and travel the world by sailboat, often with their families. Most believe it is out of their financial grasp and that is just not true. The truth is, most likely, it’s out of your psychological grasp as you don’t have the skills or confidence necessary to provide for yourself or your family, and set upon the world in a sailboat. It takes a certain skill-set, attitude, and philosophy to make it happen and that’s why I’ve launched The Minimalist Sailor.

My wife Carla and I live a very rewarding international life on less than eight thousand dollars a year. We make our own bread, pasta, beer, wine, cheese, yoghurt, soy milk, and tofu. We also pick fruit and coconuts when they are available and grow fresh sprouts & herbs aboard. I spend much of my time spearfishing, line fishing, trapping, and gathering bivalves (clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops). Occasionally I also hunt depending on our location. The end result is a very healthy and rewarding gourmet diet of fresh fruit, seafood and sushi. Our only food purchases are staple items such as beans, flour, oats, rice, tea and nuts. We strive to live on less money on a daily basis and are rewarded ten-fold for our efforts.

We live on more than 90% green power generated by solar panels. We power our life with nature, healthy food, and travel by the wind; this brings great joy and harmony to our humble and beautiful lifestyle.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

I sailed away from the United States in early 2003 in search of freedom and adventure. I was unenlightened by a career in Hollywood and after building a second career as a stock broker & financial adviser I found the pursuit of material objects and money unrewarding. I found myself trapped in a matrix of credit, bills, rules, traffic, societal expectations, and disappointment. After having a solid understanding of money and how the system works, I decided to go the other way. Balance is the key, and finding that balance is what we are going to do together.

“Ask not how much you can get, but how little you need” were the words and philosophy that set me free. Instead of money I now reward myself with autonomy, world travel, Love, and self-sufficiency. I also weigh success by these rewards and not how much paper or debt I own.

In 2002 I sold my jeep and bought a little 28′ sailboat (Namaste) with the last of my money (20k). After a year of working on her I set sail around the world with only a micro income. And when I say micro income, I mean what many spend on their bar bill each month or at the grocery store each week.

With next to nothing in my pocket I sailed south from Mystic, Connecticut, and my adventure brought me through the Bahamas, Jamaica, Colombia, Panama, the Galapagos, and across the Pacific Ocean to the Marquesas, Tahiti, Bora-Bora, the Tuamotos, Moorea, Raiatea, The Cook Islands, Tonga, Nuie, New Caledonia, Japan, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and Australia.

After sailing half way around the world I realized I was no longer on a circumnavigation but a lifetime of international voyaging, adventure, minimalism, and freedom. I yearned for a ship that was big enough to carry large stores and equipment which would enable me to become even more self-sufficient, spend longer periods of time in remote islands, and possibly have a family upon.

In 2007, I sold Namaste (28’ WestSail) in Brisbane Australia. I returned to the United States and bought Splendid, a 1973 40’ Cheoy Lee Midshipman Ketch. Splendid was in bad repair, but affordable ($15k). I invested a couple of years of hard labor and scrounging parts to make her seaworthy and once again left Florida to live as a free man in the world. I lived aboard Splendid for seven years. During that time, believe it or not, I even found a woman who shares the same ideals and aspirations as I do and married her in November of 2013.

Carla and I have just bought the boat we’ve always dreamt of, a 42’ WestSail Cutter-rigged Ketch (Eleanor). Colder latitudes were calling us and we needed a stronger boat that could face harsher conditions. Eleanor came to us in the most beautiful and magical way, with the help of family and friends. We couldn’t have done it without the support of others and that is why I think The Minimalist Sailor needs to be out there, for all of those who share this dream to find the guidance and support they need in order to take the plunge.

Who knows where the winds will take us now but we are very excited to take you on this journey with us and show you everything we learn and discover as we sail this amazing world together.